Riley Jenkins
by ElodieAuvray
Summary: Mac and Claire's world was turned upside down when their troubled niece turned to them for help. Years later, Riley's past will not only put herself in danger but those she loves most... Re-do of a previous story I published.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I only own Riley. Then again, some would disagree if they saw that new girl on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. She's just a little too close to what I posted last year … But I'm not rich enough to take it to court. Bum.

A/N: I posted this story before, but I wasn't too happy with it so I have changed some stuff to make it a little different. Darkanddepressed, thank you for all your help and story ideas. You rock!

Summary: The lives of Mac and Claire Taylor were turned upside down by the arrival of their teenage niece. Four years later, Riley's life takes a sinister turn when someone she left behind comes back to hunt her down…

Prologue (Mac's POV)

I flicked through the channels, unable to find anything good to watch. I eventually settled for a music channel playing soft jazz music.

"I love you," whispered Claire, as she snuggled closer into my chest. Her long, dark hair tickled my bare skin.

"I love you too," I breathed back, knowing that words could not describe the love I felt for her, the way my heart leapt every time I saw her, the way I felt lost and incomplete if she was even out of my sight for a minute.

A loud knock at the door interrupted what would have otherwise been a romantic moment. Claire sat up, rolling her eyes. One of her pet hates was late-night callers. I heaved myself up off the couch and made my way as slowly as possible to the door, hoping that if I took long enough, whoever was calling would give up and go away.

As I opened the door, the power of speech left me. There in the doorway, carrying several plastic bags and her saxophone case was my sixteen-year-old niece, Riley Jenkins.

"Uncle Mac?" She sounded like she was on the brink of tears.

Claire appeared behind me. Her mouth opened in shock as she saw Riley.

"Oh my God, Riley! What happened?" she asked, ushering her in and taking her sodden hoodie off. Underneath, Riley's thin t-shirt and skirt were soaked through. Her Ugg boots squelched as she nervously walked through the hall.

"Dad kicked my out," said Riley, her lip trembling. "H-he says I'm a disgrace to the family and that i-if I ever came back he would call the cops and-" At this point, she broke off and burst into tears. Claire hugged her and pulled her into the bathroom, where I could hear them talking, the sound of Claire running a hot bath drowning their voices out.

After Riley was tucked up in the spare room with a hot water bottle, Claire came back into the living room, clearly exhausted as she fell onto the couch.

"So what happened?" I asked. "Allan and Diane wouldn't have kicked her out for just anything."

"This isn't just anything," replied Claire. Her eyes were full of tears. "Riley is pregnant."

I shook my head. Riley was a straight A student with a perfect record who spent all her spare time on her music or at band practice. She was the kid least likely to get pregnant!

"It wasn't her fault," Claire assured me. "Her boyfriend, Ryan … well, we always knew he was twisted but Riley just didn't seem to get that. And the other night her parents were out, so … he made his move. When Diane got home, she realised what had happened and called Allan. Well, he'd never been home enough to get to know his own daughter, so he kicked her out with everything she owned."

Claire's sister Diane and her family lived in a small town outside Toronto, called Whitby. They were pretty well off, but Diane's husband Allan had to spend all of his time at his office, sifting through paperwork and making phone calls to other rich people. His three kids were lucky if they saw him once a year.

"What about Jenna and Chris? Didn't they stand up for her?"

Claire shook her head. "Allan told them if they even spoke to her they'd be out as well. They gave Riley enough to get herself here."

I was in shock. In a half hour, I had gone from a happily married man with no kids to looking after my niece and her unborn child. But I had no other choice. We were all she had.

"Well, I'm going to go down to the hardware store tomorrow, buy some paint for that room. I doubt Riley will put up with it for the next few years."

Claire smiled warmly at me, and in that moment, I knew I wouldn't change my life for anything.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

(Riley's POV)

6 Years Later….

"No, not Bella! Please don't hurt her! No!……"

My nightmare was brought to an abrupt halt as my alarm clock went off. I groggily groped around on my bedside table for the snooze button, eventually finding it. Just a few more minutes…

"Riley! We're leaving in fifteen minutes!"

I jumped up out of bed and into my little bathroom for a quick shower. My Uncle Mac didn't stand for tardiness, even if you were family. He was the supervisor at the New York Crime Lab, where I had worked for the past six years. I had worked my way up from a lab tech to a CSI Level 2, and learned some valuable lessons along the way, like appropriate dress for work (apparently Star Wars hoodies and baseball boots don't count) and that you should never show up late after lunch ("my watch broke" isn't a good excuse).

As I stepped out of the shower, my daughter Bella began to wake up. Her cheeks were flushed bright pink, contrasting vividly with her pale skin. A strand of brown curly hair fell across her face as she stretched and tumbled out of her bed in the corner of my room.

"Morning Mommy," Bella yawned, as she stumbled over to hug me. I held her close, remembering my nightmare. I'd been having a lot of those recently, but they couldn't mean anything, could they?

"Uncle Mac's got breakfast on in the kitchen, Bella. Hurry up, or we'll be late."

I pulled on a black skirt and a red blouse, along with my baseball boots. Uncle Mac had eventually given in to my moaning after two years. I let my long hair hang loose, thankful that its natural curls were decent enough not to need styled. Bella came skipping through just in time for me to brush her hair and put a dress on her before we left the apartment, in a hurry as usual.

Uncle Mac's cellphone rang just as we pulled up to the school. As always, I felt a slight feeling of apprehension about leaving Bella here. She ran into the playground, her HSM bag bouncing off her back, and was pulled into a hug by her friends. My worries vanished, only to be brought back by my uncle's angry face.

"That was your cousin Reed. Someone just tried to kill him."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

My heart almost broke free of my ribcage as the car pulled into the hospital parking lot. Uncle Mac's face was expressionless, but I saw the fire blazing in his eyes that meant nothing could stop him now. Before I could undo my seatbelt, he laid a hand on my arm.

"Riley," he began, "I know that when you get involved in a case, you sometimes let your emotions cloud your judgement, but … you can't let that happen with this case. Understand?"

I nodded slowly. In the past, my emotions had got in the way so much I had been pulled off cases by Gerrard. For once, I wasn't going to let that happen.

Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw in the hospital. Reed was connected to countless monitors and machines, each emitting regular beeps. A plastic bag of a deep, red liquid hung on a stand, slowly dripping into his body. I couldn't bring myself to say what it was, knowing that it would only intensify how serious the situation was. Scars covered Reed's forearms, as though he had tried to shield himself before giving in. There was a long, deep gash in his neck. I felt the tears coming, but I forced them back. I had never been a cry-baby before, no need to start now…

"Detective Taylor?"

A doctor had appeared in the doorway. His wavy brown hair came to his chin, framing his perfect face. His eyes were the deepest blue, like the sea sparkling in the sun. There was the tiniest hint of a dimple in his cheek. I was too upset to realise that he was incredibly gorgeous.

"I'm Doctor Melrose. We found Mr Garret in an alleyway, with multiple stab wounds. He's lost a lot of blood, so we have no idea how well he'll recover from this…" he trailed off as the tears began to fall silently down my cheeks. I wiped them with the back of my hand and bit my lip. Doctor Melrose looked at me, concerned.

"Are you alright, Miss, uh .."

"Jenkins. Riley Jenkins," I managed to say. "I'm Reed's cousin. Well, step-sister, in a way."

I felt Uncle Mac pull me into a hug. His arms were like a protective cage around me, reminding me of when I was a little girl and nothing could get me as long as my Uncle Mac was there. But I wasn't a little girl any more. I was an adult who had to set an example instead of being a silly little crybaby.

"Riley, I think you should go back to the lab. It's the best place for you right now."

His words were like smashing into an iron wall. "What?"

"Well, it can be very emotional here, and-"

"You're pulling me off the case?!" I screamed at him, my tears now born of anger. Before he could answer I stormed out of the room and into the busy corridor where nobody gave my red eyes a second glances. The nurses probably saw a lot of people storming out of here, in denial of their loved one's condition. I climbed into the SUV, slamming the door shut and glad of the tinted windows. At least no-one could see my tantrum now.

"They taped over your mouth, scribbled out the truth with their lies, you little spies…"

I hit "Ignore call" as my cellphone rang out, not bothering to look at caller ID. Whoever was calling could just wait for a few minutes. Uncle Mac slid into the driver's seat beside me. He didn't say anything, just drove me to Bella's school. I got out and waited by the gates as the doors opened.

Children practically exploded out of the building, screaming in delight as their parents tried to round them all up. Bella's best friends danced in a corner, their pigtails falling out and knee-high socks around their ankles. Bella didn't seem to be with them, though - another childish fallout? They'd be best friends again tomorrow, no doubt.

The crowd thinned, but Bella still didn't appear. Was she inside receiving another lecture? There was too much of my stubborn side in her sometimes, so much that her teacher got tired of arguing everything with her.

"Miss Jenkins?" Bella's teacher was beside me. She looked confused, as though I didn't belong.

"Miss Adams, is Bella coming out soon? We have … somewhere to go." I couldn't say it. The word hospital made me feel sick now.

Her forehead creased up in wonder. "Bella? She went home. Her father said she had an appointment."

My mind was engulfed by a comforting darkness, as my senses were numbed and the ground spun closer to my face.


End file.
